By: Jo Gleig.

Race Date: 29^th December, 2024.

Amble’s is an 8 mile trail run organised by Penistone Footpath Runners, on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year. It’s in the Striders Trail series next year, so “Last Minute Larrys”- be warned it sells-out in advance of the closing date – it opens in about September so there’s plenty of time to enter, but not in the last couple of weeks.

I have done it three times and really enjoy it – despite the weather often being atrocious. It was quite mild this year, although Oxspring always seems windier than Sheffield, so there was still a stiff breeze in places. Its HQ is at the same pub as where the Trunce starts, (where you register, go to toilet and come back to at the end for prize giving and soup) The race starts with a half mile run along the flat Trans Penine Trail, then there is the first of the queues as you dip down on to the footbridge and start the first uphill , which is a bit more of a diagonal gradual climb than the Trunce. There are a lot of stiles, but I found only queues at the first couple, then everyone spreads-out a bit.

I really like that are a lot of totally different sections – small bits of road, woody runs both down and up, crossing farmers’ fields, and a great run down a steep grassy hill. Something that makes it feel different to other races is the bit I think of as like running along the edge of a windy cliff, but instead of the sea below, you have Stocksbridge set out beneath you. You go back and forward to this ’cliff edge’ then finish up ploughing across muddy fields, then a mile and a bit of slightly downhill tarmac or track to the end.

There were lots of prizes- 1^st to 3^rd in the 5 year age categories, so I managed to get 3^rd V60 after Karen Clark’s 2^nd, which I was quite pleased with, as there were 12 V60s running and I overtook a few on the way round (but couldn’t catch Karen!). Cara Hanson was running with her sister and took some great photos of the scenery, and Helen Royles-Jones was also in attendance taking her usual quality photos.

The race was won by: Stuart Brown (Tonbridge AC) in 00:52:42 and Suzanne McGill (Penistone Footpath Runners & AC) in 1:04:33

 

Striders’ Results: